Makes 12 rolls or 72 slices
6 - sheets yaki-nori seaweed
2 cups Japanese rice
Sushi vinegar
Commercial vinegar is OK but if you prefer to make your own you will need
50 ml (3 and a bit tbs)rice vinegar
1 tbs sugar
Wasabi (if you like it - strong mustard taste)
Fillings - you can use anything that slices easily:
Tuna (good quality tinned tuna in slices works well)
Avocado
Cucumber
Cooked chicken
Salmon (smoked or otherwise)
Capsicum
Raw fish - most types BUT ABSOLUTELY FRESH
Cook the rice as per packet directions for Sushi - ONLY use proper sushi rice.
Prepare vegetables and cut into thin sticks/strips
When the rice is cooked add the sushi vinegar to the hot rice, stir well with spatula, at the same time fanning the rice constantly. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to cool. Do NOT put in fridge.
When cool divide the rice in half in its bowl, then mark each half into six making 12 portions.
Place a sheet of nori, shiny side downwards, on a bamboo mat on a chopping board.
Spread one portion of the rice over the nori with your fingers, leaving a finger wide space uncovered at the top of the nori - the edge furthest from you.
Spread a little wasabi (if used) in a horizontal line along the middle of the rice and lay a strip of filling on this.
Moisten (slightly) the edge of the nori furthest away from you. Holding the edge of the mat nearest to you, roll up the nori and rice into a tube with the filling in the middle. Use the mat as a guide - do not roll the nori into the food. Roll the rice tightly so that it sticks together and encloses the filling firmly.
Carefully roll the sushi off the mat. Make the remaining rolls in the same way, varying the fillings. Do not use wasabi with the cucumber.
Use a very sharp wet knife to cut each roll into six slices and stand them on a platter. Wipe and re-rinse the knife occasionally between cuts.
Serve with soy sauce.
Tips:
Cover the bamboo mat with cling wrap (cling foil) before you start.
Wash your hands after each roll.
Make sure your hands are a little wet before you start to spread the rice.
You can put more than one type of filling in a roll.
Don't make the rolls thicker than about two finger widths.
Cool the sushi until you are ready to serve it.
MAKE THE SUSHI ONLY A FEW HOURS BEFORE YOU EXPECT TO EAT IT.
Half the fun is eating the misshapen rolls before the guests come!
